Australia news LIVE: Bruce Lehrmann trial resumes and COP28 gets underway amid leaked reports of gas deals

In Sydney as he prepares for a whirlwind COP28 climate change summit in Dubai, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu is hoping Australia commits to phasing out fossil fuels like coal and gas at the UN’s annual meeting.

The future of his country depends on it.

“We are rapidly heading towards a world that will not be very safe and livable for our children,” he said. “That’s something I think most of us have accepted already: can we make it a bit less unsafe, or a bit more livable?”

Vanuatu, made up of roughly 80 islands and home to more than 319, 000 people, has estimated about $US1.2 billion is needed by 2030 to ensure adequate adaption, mitigation and loss of damage.

Much of that money would come from international countries such as Australia or America, who Regenvanu says have a duty to help developing nations such as Vanuatu.

“Other countries by their activities have caused this damage to us. Who’s going to pay for the damage? And who’s going to pay to make us be able to withstand into the future these increasingly catastrophic events?” he said.

Read Regenvanu’s full interview with environment reporter Laura Chung here.

Former prime ministers Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, John Howard and Kevin Rudd are among the world leaders who met with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger across decades in public life.

Here are some archival photos featuring the controversial Nobel Peace Prize winner and diplomatic powerhouse, from Circular Quay to Beijing.

Big tech companies including Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft face the prospect of new regulations after a senate economics committee tabled the final report of its inquiry into the influence of international digital platforms.

Recommendations include that the government establish a digital platforms coordination body and a new tribunal for small disputes with tech giants, and develop mandatory industry codes on the collection of children’s data.

The committee is also recommending the government introduce legislation to effectively force the tech giants to unbundle their payment services like Apple Pay and Google Pay to give consumers more options, and that the government require mandatory disclosure by large digital platforms of self-preferencing conduct.

The inquiry was held in response to concerns about the power exerted by the so-called big tech companies over Australian market competition and democracy.

“Big tech companies should be regulated like utilities in Australia,” committee chair and Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg told this masthead.

He said all Australians interact with at least one big tech platform daily.

“That’s why I am recommending new transparency measures, mandatory dispute resolution and unbundling of services,” he said. “They live under our roof, they must play by our rules.”

Staying in Canberra, where Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has had to withdraw comments after accusing the opposition of trying “to support paedophiles over children” and “support abusers over their victims”.

“We saw the opposition come in and try to support paedophiles over children and support domestic abusers over their survivor victims,” O’Neil said. “What we have also seen this week is an unspeakable lack of leadership from the Leader of the Opposition in calling to attention the behaviour of one of his frontbench.”

Liberal member Michael Sukkar on a point of order asked the minister to “withdraw that disgusting slur”.

“It is a clear reflection on members protecting paedophiles is something that should not come out of any minister’s mouth,” he said.

Speaker of the house Milton Dick asks for the Minister of Home Affairs to “make sure her language is tempered” to make sure she is not reflecting on other members.

Dutton then stood, saying he wanted the minister to completely “withdraw the reflection that was made” as Sukkar later stood requesting O’Neil completely withdraw her comments.

“At present, without a withdrawal, every single member on this side of the house is accused of protecting paedophiles … it would be extraordinary that that would be allowed in this chamber and our request again that the minster not only withdraw but apologise,” Sukkar said.

Dick asks O’Neil to withdraw: “speaker to assist the house, I withdraw,” O’Neil said.

Returning to question time in Canberra, where Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has sought leave to move a motion criticising the Albanese government of its handling of the High Court case.

Listing out a number of reasons for his motion, Dutton begins by saying the government has been “catastrophic” in managing the 142 released detainees.

“The Albanese government’s catastrophic handling of the NZYQ High Court case has resulted in the mass release of hardened criminals from detention into the Australian community,” he said.

Dutton continues to list the opposition’s criticisms of the NZYQ case, saying the government has put “Australian lives at risk”.

Leader of the House Tony Burke asked for the matter to be dealt with as a first item of business after question time.

Taking a question after Dutton’s speech, the Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil described the speech as a “pathetic stunt”.

“We have focused on one thing and one thing only and that is the safety of the Australian community,” O’Neil said. “What we’ve seen Speaker is a deep contrast with the opposition who have tried at every turn to duck and weave and find some way to make politics out of this decision.”

NSW Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car has criticised teachers for displaying pro-Palestinian signs and wearing Keffiyeh scarves at public schools, saying classrooms “are not places for political activism”.

Warning “people will be dealt with” if they breach the state education department’s code of conduct, Car said she was “very disappointed” with the NSW Teachers’ Federation after it endorsed a motion supporting the right of members to wear the Palestinian scarf at work.

“We have made it very, very, clear as a government what our expectations of teachers in our schools, our wonderful teachers, is – that we rely on them to be impartial in the classroom. We rely on them to ensure that classrooms are not places for political activism,” she said.

The motion, posted online by the Teachers and School Staff for Palestine group, said teachers could “proudly and safely wear Keffiyeh to work with the backing of the NSW Teachers’ Federation”, and called on members to “take photos at work … wearing Keffiyeh or with signs calling to end the siege and bombing of Gaza”.

You can read Michael McGowan’s report here.

Question time has been rowdy and shadow minister for immigration Dan Tehan has asked multiple questions on the now 142 detainees released after the High Court determined indefinite immigration detention illegal.

Tehan says the High Court only directed the release of the plaintiff in the NZYQ case, and accused the government of releasing other detainees before the High Court had handed down in its reason.

He asks Immigration Minister Andrew Giles whether this meant he had misled parliament – a question Giles was quick to shut down.

“Let me be very, very, very clear. The High Court, in its decision, required the release of individuals in similar circumstances to the plaintiff NZYQ, the government had to comply with this as any government would,” he said.

Giles then quoted former attorney-general George Brandis as saying: “I’ve not disguised my concern at attacks upon the institution of the law, the courts and those who practise in them. To attack those institutions is to attack the rule of law itself’ … that is a very apt comment now and members opposite should have regard to it and they should be ashamed.”

Question time is under way in the House of Representatives in Canberra.

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